Foreign Winds
by saltyavocado
Summary: AU, set in modern day US. As a certain Japanese exchange student is staying in Chicago's Korea town to study, he runs into a lot of interesting characters, some which are friends, and some which are not. And of course, a healthy dose of trouble follows.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: I know, I stuck the Western label on this thing. So what. It's set in the West, at any rate, as opposed to the Far East. And I don't think there are any stories under that category anyway, so I thought that it was high time it got one. So there. As for the story, well, I just needed something fun to write while working on my other fic, Hidden Blessings, which will be posted once I finish it; which might take a while if current progress is any indicator. So, having said all that, enjoy! This is what you get when I'm stuck at home with a cold. **

The room was dim as a young man stumbled through the door, tugging off his jacket as he kicked off his shoes with all the haphazard grace of a stork. He was tired. He was very tired; in fact, so tired that he didn't even bother getting himself anything to eat from the slow cooker as he make his way over to the bed pushed against the far wall. The blankets felt cool and inviting as he collapsed onto the covers, closing his eyes in relief. Too bad he had to get up to e-mail his sister, a daily ritual that he had yet to miss ever since he had arrived at the Windy City.

The laptop blinked admonishingly from the small table that was set in the middle of the kitchen unit, a small affair that was separated from the main room by a length of plaster topped with a thin strip of pseudo-marble. The realtor hadn't exactly been lying when he had said the two room apartment came with a complete kitchen plus a bar, but then again that would have to depend on someone's definition of "complete." Not that it mattered much anyway. He hadn't expected his stay in America to be glamorous by any means, college student that he was. Still, it would be nice if the air conditioning could work on nights like these.

Rolling off the bed, the young Japanese man made his way over to seat himself down in front of the screen, clicking the internet icon impatiently as he thought over what he would say. Maybe he should write about how he was lucky to get internet at all, considering that he was just schmoozing off the wi-fi from next door? No, he didn't want to tell her anything depressing. She hated how he was away from her as it was, and any sign of discontent would produce not so subtle hints about how he should come home, how much she missed him, how much mother needed him back at the family business; although in truth it had been his mother who had encouraged him to go overseas in the first place. That woman was all about expanding horizons and such.

The blank box waited for him patiently as he made up his mind. Fingers slowly pressing down on the keys, he typed out the following message to be sent across the ocean.

_Dear Sis,_

_Today was pretty nice. I went down to Navy Pier and took a walk along the lakeside. You would have liked it, with the sailboats and joggers and people just out for a walk with their kids. People dress rather revealingly here when the weather gets hot, men even taking off their shirts and kids running around in the fountains in their swimsuits. Not that I think you would've have minded. You always liked being introduced to new cultures and mindsets, and I'm happy to hear that you're excited about that trans-Asia trip that you're going on with your friend this summer. Although I don't know how we're going to keep in touch regularly if you keep moving around. Too bad we're not telepathic, lol. Make sure you text me before you leave._

_Affectionately yours,_

_Larg_

He thought for a moment before adding something.

_PS. Moro and Maru are doing well at their new jobs here as kabuki dancers. I would have never known that kabuki had a following here in the US, but I guess in Chicago anything goes. At any rate, they send their greetings and hope that you're doing well._

With that the young man clicked the send button, stretching and yawning as he did so. The restless Chicago night created a backdrop of noise that was far different than that of his hometown, but was soothing in its own way. He supposed that after the first few weeks he had gotten used to it.

Now, to get some sleep. He didn't want to be late for his first day of work at the warehouse, after all.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Okay, so this world's Larg may be considered OC by conventional standards. Deal with it. I can't have the soul of a hyperactive bunny with a drinking problem running around in the body of a college student, so there obviously had to be some changes. Personally, I kind of like how he turned out. This is an AU anyway, so he's sure to be different from the cannon Larg, even if he wasn't human. **

**With that said, enjoy the madness!**

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* * *

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Korea town really wasn't that bad of a place to live, even if it was a little far from the university. Larg rather liked the smell of Korean food as he walked down the street in the morning, headed towards the bus stop. Of course, it would have been even nicer if there had been a Japan town to live in, but for some reason that was beyond him he had found that there really weren't many of those in the US. Why was it that only the Chinese and Koreans seemed to establish centers for themselves? He sighed at the thought. Not that he minded kimchi and bean curd soup all the time, but a little native fare would be nice every now and then. Most of the sushi places he found downtown were far beyond his means.

He got to the stop just as his bus pulled up, on its way to the commercial district. He paid his fare and walked to the back where there were thankfully some empty seats available, despite the rush that was typical at this time of morning. Perhaps this was one of the earlier stops on the line?

As the time dragged on, it seemed his earlier guess was right, as the bus started to fill and the press of bodies made him lean against the window. About ten minutes into the ride he noticed a girl struggling to board with a large bag, long hair getting tangled into her clothes. Seeing the testy look the driver was giving her, Larg was about to get up and give her a hand when another man beat him to it, lifting the heavy weight for her as he helped her into the bus. Larg caught his eye and stood up, gesturing to his seat. The other man nodded his thanks as he guided the girl to where he was standing and tried to get her to sit down. She balked, taking her bag back as she turned toward them politely.

"Thank you for your help, but it really is unnecessary for you to give up your seat for me. I'm not a china doll, whatever you might think." She really was rather pretty, now that Larg got a proper look at her face. Smooth skin was framed by curly locks of black hair, neatly pulled back onto a no nonsense ponytail. Her dress was neat too, showing off a full figure that she held with good posture, her back straight and head held high. She had feminist written all over her.

"Well then, please excuse me. I didn't mean any offense by offering you my seat - it's just that I've had it ever since I got on, and I'm going to get off soon anyway." As aggravating as his sister sometimes said he was, Larg knew how to be polite when he needed to be. He looked over at the other man. "You can have this seat then, if you want. I'm just getting off at the warehouse district, anyway."

"Really? So are we, right Shizuka-kun?" She turned towards her companion, smiling at him. The man being addressed only grunted in response. She turned back to Larg as she began to talk. "Shizuka-kun and I both work at the auction house where we're preparing to unload the new load of wares from CLAMP. The antique company, that is. This shipload is supposed to be especially interesting, and there's a lot of buzz in the collecting community about the upcoming auction. Do you collect anything, Larg-kun?"

The man addressed as Shizuka made an irritated sound in his throat. "Stop it with the "-kun" this and "-kun" that, Himiwari. This is Chicago, not Tokyo. You can barely speak Japanese anyway."

She made a face at him before turning back. "Okay, okay, so I'm only half Japanese. Doesn't mean that Mr. Grumpy Pants over here has to make fun of me, not since he has a nice traditional Japanese family to practice his Japanese with while I only know what I can pick up from anime. Are you Japanese, Larg," glare at Shizuka, "_-kun_?"

He watched the exchange with glee, ahem, that is, slight amusement. So this was what a "half" was like. Well, at least an American half. He didn't know if the ones who actually lived in Japan were any different. He started as he realized that Himiwari was still waiting for an answer.

"Well, um, actually, I just came from Japan a couple of weeks ago. I'm here to go to the college and do a study program in European mythology. My name is Larg, by the way. Larg Mokona-Modoki.

Her eyes widened before she bent over her bag, shuffling through papers before triumphantly pulling out a file. She opened it to show a picture of him, along with some personal information and a resume. "So, you're _that_ Mokona-Modoki!" she said excitedly, looking up at him with shining eyes. "I just knew that something good would come of all this fuss over hiring some extra help. So, Larg-kun, how's America been treating you? Where are you staying?"

He felt warmed by her friendliness as she spoke. Gesturing towards the door as they got off at their stop, he talked as the trio stepped out onto the sidewalk. The sun was starting to shine down in earnest as they walked through the gates labeled 0401.

"I like it here, I guess. There's a lot to get used to but that in itself is fun, in its own way. I miss Japanese food though. American food is always so greasy, and they always give too much. I really like all of the parks here, along with the lake and the museums and such. Having so many open spaces is rather nice." Himiwari nodded and listened to him as they walked into a building that was on the far end of the lot, its cool shade welcoming after the brightening light outside. As his eyes adjusted to the dimness, Larg noticed the form of a young man seated behind a desk, his pale hands flying over a piece of paper as he wrote hurriedly. Stopping, he looked up before standing and making his way over, studying Larg speculatively. Was this the supervisor?

Himiwari called out cheerfully, curls bouncing as she did so. "Kimihiro-kun! Here's the new guy that the boss hired to help out! His name is Larg Mokona-Modoki, and he comes from Japan!" With that she presented him with a flourish as he fidgeted, feeling awkward. His name sounded so long and bombastic when said aloud like that. Why couldn't his mother have named him something nice and normal, like Kaito or Tomoya?

Kimihiro took a long look at him over his wire frame glasses, taking him in from the bottom of his scuffed converse to the messy bed head he had tried to tame that morning. He shrugged suddenly, turning around and leading the way into a back room, calling for them to follow him over his shoulder. Whatever examination the other man had given him, he had seemed to pass it.

Larg hurried after him only to stop short at the sight awaiting him, his eyes widening at the shelves upon shelves of antiques upon the walls. More spilled out of crates, old finery glinting dully next to ornate brocade, the whole storage area a mess of clearly valuable objects. A grunt of effort brought his eyes back to the man ahead of him, who was trying to pry the top off of a box. A final screech of nails giving way suddenly resulted in a cloud of sawdust as the bespectacled man fell back on his rear, clutching the wooden frame as he scowled angrily at the troublesome structure. He staggered up, refusing the hand Shizuka had come up to offer him, and shoved a clipboard at Larg before stomping out, brushing the dust off himself as he did so.

"I want you guys to take stock of crates thirty seven to fifty today, taking down the serial number, approximate age, initial price, and source of each object as you go. Make sure not to damage any of them, or it comes out of your paycheck. And may I remind you, some of these are _very_ expensive items." With that he settled himself back at his desk, where he resumed writing.

Larg stared after him, wondering where the guy had gotten such a bad attitude. A hand on his shoulder made him turn to see Himiwari look sadly at the man in question, a sympathetic look on her face. "Don't mind Kimihiro when he's being like this. Usually he's a really cheerful guy, but things haven't been going too well for him lately. There are problems back home, and other, well, things." With that cryptic statement she left him, picking up her own clipboard as she did so. Larg followed, a thoughtful frown on his face as he began to count out and label items. Maybe it wasn't fair to judge by first impressions. He would give that guy time, for now.

* * *

"Look at this! What do you think of me now, Larg-kun? Himiwari vi Britannia commands you, bow before her!" With a giggle the girl flourished her hands to uncover her left eye – well, where her left eye would have been if a bulky black helmet wasn't covering it. Larg responded in kind, waving a pink star tipped baton at her in mock dismay. "By the power I have within me, I command you to return to your original form – the Airheaded Idiot card!" With that he set down the collectible and ran, angry shrieks chasing him down the rows of cargo. Shizuka looked over with bored amusement at their antics, Larg scampering over the slippery concrete floor as Himiwari tried to catch him.

"Oi, watch where you two are going. If you break anything, you know that we're going to get an earful from Kimihiro over there."

"Aww, what a spoilsport you're being." Nevertheless she stopped, returning to her clipboard with the air of a martyr. Larg followed her, if somewhat reluctantly.

"So, are these considered antiques too?" he said as he gestured to the piles of collectibles lying in the musty crates. Everything from action figures to the anime props they had been playing with were there, spread out as if at some from child's room from about twenty years ago, with a few exceptions. He doubted that anyone from that era would have recognized the black plush bunny thing that was lying between a comic book and an old fashioned Barbie doll.

"Yeah, I guess so. You'd be surprised how much some people like this kind of stuff. Nostalgic, I guess." Shizuka replied from his position behind a pile of embossed books. "These old toys sometimes bring in a whole lot of money." A startled "Eep!" from Himiwari made both of them turn as they saw her get buried under a rack of vintage clothes.

Kimihiro stuck his head in irritably. "Just what are you guys doing back there? I thought you were sorting, not throwing a party!" He walked in with his own clipboard, scanning the room to take in their progress before he sat himself down. Just as he began to open crates and mark things down on his paper, Himiwari bounded over with a smile, having gotten herself untangled.

"Oh, so you finally got those accounts done? That's good, because we could use the extra help in here, even with Larg-kun here to assist us. Why don't you check out these original manuscripts in crate forty six? They're from a monastery in France, if I'm not mistaken."

The other man's eyes perked with interest as he made his way over to the appointed crate, looking over its contents curiously. He was soon lost in the yellowed pages as he handled them with gloves, his eyes poring over the faded ink. Shizuka and Himiwari shared a chuckle as they watched his absorption.

"Kimihiro may not look it, but he was well on his way to getting a degree in literature before he dropped out of college. He has a special interest in the epics, the Iliad and Beowulf and such. What a nerdy guy." Shizuka said this with a hint of fondness. Larg eyed the hunched figure thoughtfully.

"Why did he drop out then?" The other man's face closed at that, his expression filled with something that Larg could not put a name to.

"Things happen," he said softly before turning back to the crates. "Come on now, we should probably leave him to enjoy himself."

As Larg picked his way through a pile of pink playing cards, he studied his companions. Kimihiro aside, what were any of them doing here? Himiwari really didn't seem like the type to settle for a grudge job like this. Neither did Shizuka, reserved as his demeanor was. There were secrets here, close secrets his companions shared that filled up the dusty air of the now silent warehouse. He turned towards his next item, the black bunny plushy he had seen earlier. His fingers rubbed the blue plastic of its jewel absently as he held it, its smoothness giving him something to focus on. "Looks like my time here might get interesting, huh, little buddy?"

* * *

"Oh man, my shoulders are sore from all of that cataloguing." Himiwari stretched, her arms extended high above her head. They were done for the day and had just finished locking up the warehouse they had spent most of the afternoon in. The empty yard was quiet as the four made their way out of the gates.

"Hey, Kimihiro-kun, why don't we all get together some time to celebrate Larg-kun joining us, hmm? A friendly outing between coworkers. I know a good Korean place that's near Larg-kun's apartment, and we can hang out at his place afterwards. What do you say?"

The other man pressed his lips together until they were a pale line on his thin face. "I don't think I'll be able to go Himiwari. There's stuff to do at home, and that article for the Traveler is due next week. Why don't you go ahead with the other two?"

"Oh, you're no fun. Can't you just think of eating out as additional research?" At Larg's questioning look she explained. "Kimi-kun here sometimes submits recipes and cooking articles for magazines, since he's good at that kind of stuff. The article he's writing for Traveler is one about cheap ethnic food places around Chicago, especially around Albany Park. This outing is perfect for his article, but no, he has to be a killjoy and deny anything that involves fun. That about sums it up, right Kimi-kun?"

He blew out a breath of annoyance. "It's not that. I just can't afford to be blowing money on eating out when there are more important things to do."

"I'll pay." Shizuka spoke abruptly, his deep voice cutting across the conversation. Kimihiro gave him a look that could curdle milk.

"I don't need you to pay for me, thank you very much. Just because I don't want to waste my hard earned money on frivolousness doesn't mean that I can't pay for myself."

"But you said you couldn't afford it."

"Well, I can!"

"Then you can come!" jumped in Himiwari, taking advantage of the situation.

"No I can't!" Kimihiro paused for a moment as he stopped, confused. "I mean, I could, if I wanted to, but I can't because, because-"

"So you're coming," Larg finished for him, sharing a grin with the girl at his side. "After all, I would feel rather hurt if my new coworker didn't want to hang out with me, not if he doesn't have any reason to refuse."

"But-"

"I'll pay," offered Shizuka again.

The bony young man glared at them all as they stared back innocently. He threw his hands up into the air. "Fine! Whatever…" he grumbled as he stomped off.

"You're welcome!" Larg called out after him. Kimihiro only waved back at him irritably. The three of them proceeded to their bus as it pulled up to the stop.

"Is he always that prickly?" asked Larg as they found some seats by the window. Himiwari settled next to him with Shizuka on her other side.

"Pretty much. That guy has a terribly oversensitive sense of pride when it comes to things like that. Although," she said with a mischievous look, "it's rather fun to shove help onto him because of it."

The rest of the time passed amiably as the three chatted – well, Himiwari chatted, Larg laughed at what she said, and Shizuka interposed a word or two when necessary. The bus ride ended all too soon when Larg's stop came up. As he got off the bus, he turned back and waved at his friends who were in the window before turning up the street towards the apartment complex, scuffing his feet against the sidewalk. A friendly greeting from the grocery store made him look up.

"Ah, Mrs. Mihara, how are you doing?" The middle aged woman smiled at him as she leaned on her broom, a thoughtful look on her face. "As well as anyone is supposed to be in this heat," she replied. "How was your first day at work?" Mrs. Mihara, the Korean woman who owned a grocery store down the street, had taken a kindly interest towards the young man who rented out her apartment. She often dropped by with food and asked after his health, for all the world playing the part of mother hen. Not that Larg minded.

"It went well. I seem to be getting along with my coworkers, at any rate. How are your daughters doing? I heard today was supposed to be their first day in undergrad." She beamed down at him.

"Oh, they're doing splendidly. Chiho is really enjoying her studies in computer science, and has been going on and on about her classes. Chise too, although I think that she enjoyed that study partner of hers more than the psychology classes they're supposed to be studying for." She sighed, wiping away a mock tear. "Oh, how my little girls are growing up."

Larg grinned as he waved and started to walk down the street again, pausing to call out, "Well, if they need someone to chaperone them on a first date, you know I'm always willing, especially if there's free food involved."

"Oh, get on, you rascal, you." But Mrs. Mihara laughed despite herself, the sound following the young man as he walked away. He smiled to himself. Mrs. Mihara might be a single mother of twins, but that woman was a strong as they came, with a sense of humor that was infectious. He could have asked for no better landlady.

* * *

He sat in front of the computer again, the empty box on the screen sitting there invitingly. Soel would probably be waking up right now, getting ready for her day, texting her friends and choosing what to pack for her trip. Not that she ever packed much anyway; she was a light traveler. His hands hovered over the keyboard before beginning to type.

_Hey Sis_

_Work today was fun, in its own way. I got to see a bunch of interesting stuff, antiques and such, and I got to meet new people. The Korean food Mrs. Mihara brings me is always nice, but I miss Japanese food, you're homemade manju especially. And sake. I really miss sake. _

_Next week our class is going to go see a private exhibition of Norse relics at the Field Museum before it's opened to the public. It seems that professor Eriol has some friends in high places. Between work and classes, I'm sure to be busy these next few weeks._

_I hope that both you and Oka-san are doing well. Don't forget to tell Sakura-chan that I hope she feels better soon._

_Affectionately,_

_Larg_

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**A/N: Yes, there will be crossovers. Lots of crossovers. You have been warned. **

**And Mrs. Mihara is Korean even though she has a Japanese last name. Her deceased husband was Japanese, so she kept his last name even after he died. Chise and Chiho, while unusual, would pass as Korean names too, I think, since they both have two syllables. I can't have every single person in Chicago a person of Japanese origin, as fun as that would be. Please excuse me for switching up the nationalities a bit. **

**I'm also using the trio's first names here for the same reason. In America they wouldn't be calling each other by their last names, unless they wanted to sound like football coaches, so first names it is.**

** Don't forget to leave reviews. They seriously make me happy, and this sick girl can do with a little happiness right now. **


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